The Genome and the Princess's Turmoil
by WiiFan2009
Summary: A pair of one-shots set during and after Final Fantasy IX. When Dagger's mute condition nearly gets her killed, will Zidane be able to comfort her? And when Zidane gets nightmares after he and Dagger reunite and get married, how will the Queen of Alexandros console her husband?
1. Chapter One: Voiceless and Powerless

A/N: I had these sitting on my laptop after playing Final Fantasy IX on Switch, but I'm only now getting around to uploading them. This is the first of a pair of one-shots containing Zidane and Garnet/Dagger fluff. Enjoy!

The Genome and the Princess's Turmoil

Chapter One: Voiceless and Powerless

It was a quiet evening at sea; all of the crew on board the Blue Narciss was fast asleep. Well, almost; only two were awake. Blank, who needed to steer the ship, and Zidane, the monkey-tailed thief who sat up against the wall, staring intently at the raven-haired princess sleeping across from him. The normally energetic and playful boy had no mirth in his eyes for a change, an uncharacteristically serious and worried expression plastered on his face. For though Dagger appeared to be fast asleep, Zidane knew that she was feeling anything but peaceful.

_Dagger…_

Zidane sighed, reminiscing about a battle that occurred as they were walking earlier; the moment when it truly hit him how vulnerable his normally upbeat travelling companion truly was.

XXX

_Dagger swung her rod at the nearly-dead troll, about to finish it off, when suddenly, she froze, as if suddenly encased in ice._

_**What…What's happening? Why can't I move? Why can't I concentrate?**_

_The troll roared, taking the opportunity to charge at the newly mute Princess. As the others cried out her name in panic, a knife flew through the air, embedding itself in the troll's heart. Stopping in its tracks, the troll fell over, dead. As everyone breathed a sigh of relief, Zidane walked up to the troll, retrieved his dagger from the corpse and sheathed it at his waist. He turned back around, staring intently at the Princess he had just saved._

"_Are you okay, Dagger? Just nod for yes, alright?"_

_Broken out of her trance by Zidane's voice, she shyly walked over to her rescuer, her eyes brimming with tears, as she practically tackled him and wrapped her arms around him in a vice, sobbing into his chest. Shocked, he simply returned the embrace, the others standing back to allow them space. Even Steiner didn't object, realizing that whether he liked it or not, she needed Zidane, not her Captain of the Guard._

_XXX_

Zidane twirled a lock of hair around his finger, his tail waving erratically behind him as he showed his anxiety at their situation. His anxious mood was interrupted when he saw Dagger's previously still form twisting and turning, grunts and pained moans all that were coming out of her mouth.

_She must be having a nightmare…_He realized. _With everything she's had to bear in the last few days, who wouldn't be haunted in their dreams?_

Sighing, Zidane got up from where he sat and walked over until he was next to her, sitting down and running a hand down her back. Dagger froze for a split second, but soon relaxed into Zidane's touch, letting out a brief sigh as she lay still.

_That was close…_

Zidane sighed with relief as he resumed rubbing her back, trying to rub away what little of her trauma he could. His left hand clenched into a fist as he thought of everything that had happened to Dagger so far, and of how she had lost her voice as a consequence.

_Damn it, I hate this; Dagger is so traumatized that she can't even talk to me. Damn you, Kuja; you took everything away from my friend; her mother, her kingdom…Some friend I am; can't even help when my best friend needs me…_

Zidane didn't notice his tail swishing back and forth as his angry thoughts rampaged through his mind, so it caught him completely off guard when Dagger's hand grasped it.

_Huh?_

Zidane looked down to see Dagger's hand holding the end of his tail up to her face, as if it were a pillow, or a teddy bear. Zidane looked in awe, then smiled as the faintest of grins tugged at Dagger's lips.

_Finally; a smile. I missed your smile, Dagger._

He curled his tail so that it wrapped itself around Dagger's wrist, causing her to let out a contented moan. She held it close, nuzzling it with her nose.

"Sleep peacefully tonight, Dagger. I promise I'll protect you. I'll help you get through this, in sickness and in health…"

_In sickness and in health…_

The irony not lost on him for his word choice, Zidane smiled once more, flashing back to their unofficial wedding ceremony at Conde Petie as he gently moved Dagger so that her head was in his lap. He ran his other hand through her raven hair, in bliss that he could comfort her for at least one night.

"I know we only technically married to make it to the Ilia Tree, but I promise I'll take care of you, like a good husband should. Rest well my wife; my beloved Dagger."

Unconsciously, she nuzzled her head into his lap, tightening her grip on Zidane's tail, causing Zidane to grin even wider as he wrapped the arm that was rubbing her back around her waist, eventually dozing off with his wife.


	2. Chapter Two: Zidane's Night Terrors

A/N: Here's the second chapter in the pair of one-shots. Enjoy!

The Genome and the Princess's Turmoil

Chapter Two: Zidane's Night Terrors

_Thump, thump…_

The erratic thumping of fur against her leg roused Dagger from her slumber. Groaning, she rubbed her eyes until she gained some measure of awareness.

_Thump, thump…_

The continued unpredictable thumping against her body made her immediately concerned, for she knew exactly what was hitting her, and a vague idea as to why it was hitting her.

_Zidane's tail…the only time it moves so erratically is when…_

She looked over to her husband laying next to her to see her hypothesis proven. Zidane's tail was waving around erratically, as it only did when he was extremely anxious or in great emotional pain. She had seen it when he was anxious plenty of times during their quest a year ago. This time however, it was clear that he was in great turmoil; Zidane's body kept twisting and turning, tear tracks slowly forming from his eyes. Dagger watched, her heart breaking as she saw the state her husband was in.

_He must be having a nightmare…_Her resolve steeled, she rolled over until she was lying on top of the Genome, grasping his shoulders and shaking with all her might as she pleaded "Zidane? Wake up, my beloved monkey. Zidane, it's me, your beloved Dagger. Please, wake up!"

Her words had an immediate effect on him, as he sprung up, sitting upward in the bed, forcing Dagger to place one of her hands down on the bed to steady herself while she used the other to gently grasp his hand. She watched as he gasped for breath, waiting until he could calm down enough to get a handle on where he was.

Blinking, the slightly calmed Zidane looked around, his eyes finally settling on his wife's face.

"Da…Dagger?"

Nodding, the Queen of Alexandria ran her hands down his arms, grasping his hands with her own as she soothed softly "I'm here, my monkey. You had a bad dream, didn't you?"

Tears running down his cheeks, the former thief looked away in embarrassment, confirming "Y…Yeah."

Despite the situation, Dagger still couldn't believe how much more open he was with her now that they recognized each other as husband and wife. While he was never dishonest or closed with her during their quest, Zidane had never been one to share his doubts and worries, opting to hide behind his jokes and flirtatious personality. And while he put that persona on full display when the two were in public as Queen and King of Alexandria, it amazed her just how much of his more vulnerable side he would show her when they were in the privacy of their own room.

_I guess after a year apart from the woman you love, you never know if another day might come that could rip you apart._

Putting her musing aside for the time being, Dagger reached up with her hands, cradling his face in her palms. She angled his face so that he had to look into her eyes, using her thumbs to wipe the tear tracks from his face. She felt her throat start to choke up at the almost broken expression on her husband's face.

"Zidane…"

A comfortable silence passed between them as the King and Queen of Alexandria stared into each other's eyes, until the young Genome broke it with his next question.

"Did I…Did I wake you, Dagger?"

Dagger noted the waver in his voice and gently spoke without a hint of blame "When you had your nightmare, your tail started thumping wildly and hit my leg a few times. It's fine, don't worry about it."

More tears leaked from his eyes as Zidane looked down to his wife's calf; there was indeed a long, red mark shaped quite similarly to his tail. Ashamed at having hurt his beloved Dagger, even unconsciously, Zidane buried his head against the front of her neck, sobbing his apologies to her in a frenzy.

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it!"

Dagger sighed as he wrapped his arms around her in a gentle vice, wanting nothing more than to be able to cure his guilt and anguish with her Cure Spells as easily as she healed his physical wounds during battle. Since that wasn't an option, Dagger responded by reciprocating the gesture as she granted him the forgiveness and intimacy he obviously craved at that moment. The Queen started to rock him back and forth, seeking to calm her currently hysterical husband.

Running a hand through his blond hair as the other stroked his back, she soothed "It's okay, Zidane. It's okay, my adorable little monkey. Shh, I know you didn't mean any harm…"

Eventually she moved her hand from his hair down to run against the length of his tail, which gently wrapped around her wrist in a gesture of apology for its previous roughness. It was then that she felt the urge to sing, to let her gift for song that initially endeared her to Zidane and brought them together once more work its magic on her Husband. So sing she did; she sang a song that she knew would allow her Husband to regain his sense of calm.

"Alone for a while I've been searching through the dark,

For traces of the love you left inside my lonely heart,

To weave by picking up the pieces that remain,

Melodies of life - love's lost refrain

Our paths they did cross, though I cannot say just why

We met, we laughed, we held on fast, and then we said goodbye

And who'll hear the echoes of stories never told?

Let them ring out loud till they unfold

In my dearest memories,

I see you reaching out to me

Though you're gone,

I still believe that you can call out my name

A voice from the past, joining yours and mine

Adding up the layers of harmony

And so it goes, on and on

Melodies of life,

To the sky beyond the flying birds - forever and beyond

So far and away, see the bird as it flies by

Gliding through the shadows of the clouds up in the sky

I've laid my memories and dreams upon those wings

Leave them now and see what tomorrow brings

In your dearest memories,

Do you remember loving me?

Was it fate that

Brought us close and now leaves me behind?

A voice from the past, joining yours and mine

Adding up the layers of harmony

And so it goes, on and on

Melodies of life,

To the sky beyond the flying bird - forever and on

If I should leave this lonely world behind,

Your voice will still remember our melody

Now I know we'll carry on

Melodies of life,

Come circle round and grow deep in our hearts,

As long as we remember…"

…_Our song…_

With that thought, Zidane's sobs subsided, the former thief giving off a surprisingly accurate impression of a purring cat as he became lost in both the soothing song, and the attention his wife gave to his tail. Dagger gently smiled and stopped rocking, relieved that her husband was in a better mood.

"Would you like to talk to me about it? Your dream, I mean…?" Seeing her husband tense up, she hastily added "I won't make you if you really don't want to, but I do think it might help. I hate seeing you sad like this, and even if all I can do is listen, I want to help ease your pain. You don't have to shoulder this burden alone, Zidane. Please let me help you, Zidane, like you did for me when I lost my voice."

She watched as Zidane slowly removed his face from her neck, wiping his eyes with his wrist before nodding. She noted the blush on his face as he gingerly removed his arms from around her and unwrapped his tail from her wrist. The Queen took the opportunity to roll over back to where she had been sleeping, though she made sure they were sitting side-by-side to give her husband the physical comfort that she suspected he still needed.

"I was…back at the Iifa Tree. I was…trying to rescue Kuja."

Dagger frowned; they had spoken at length about Zidane's ill-fated attempt to rescue Kuja the night of their reunion. She made clear that while she was not happy with him for attempting such a suicidal stunt and vanishing for a year, she also couldn't hold it against him for trying. She recognized that to abandon Kuja would have gone against the very nature of the Genome that she had fallen in love with, and the last thing she wanted was for Zidane to be kicking himself for abandoning someone in need for the rest of his life. Seeing how hard this was for him to talk about even with her, she waved away her thoughts on their past discussion and rubbed his shoulder with one hand.

"Take as much time as you need, Zidane. I'm not going anywhere."

Zidane smiled gratefully at his wife before taking a deep breath to steady himself as he felt her slide her hand from his shoulder to give his hand a comforting squeeze.

"I was dashing past the roots that had gone out of control, and I had gotten to the trunk, when one of them managed to grab me and pin me to the tree. I struggled with everything I had, but I couldn't break free. I then saw the airship you were escaping in flying out of sight. I started crying, and that's when you woke me up."

Zidane's voice had become shaky once more, causing Dagger's heart to break; she had become used to seeing Zidane as confident, borderline cocky. It was an unusual sight to see him completely broken as he appeared now. Before she could speak, Zidane continued.

"That dream…it reminded me how happy I was when I came home to you. To live here, in peace, being married to you…it sometimes feels too good to be true. Sometimes…I wonder whether all of this is a dream…if I'm still wandering the plains of Gaia, or worse, whether I'm still at the Iifa Tree, trapped for eternity…An eternity without my beloved Dagger."

Dagger gaped at him; Zidane had never been this open with her, and she had no idea he felt that way.

_The closest we've come to this kind of transparency…was when he told me about his childhood during our adventure. Even then though, it didn't seem to bother him. I always saw him as this pillar of strength that even an Eidolon couldn't knock down. To think that he felt this insecure about living with me…_

Her urge to wash away all the pain, loneliness, and doubt he had ever felt in his life surged once more as she decided on her next course of action.

"…Come here, Zidane." _Let me be your pillar of strength this time!_

She turned to embrace him again, resting his head on her shoulder as she rubbed his back to soothe him before rocking him once more. The Genome nuzzled the side of her neck, taking full advantage of the loving embrace his wife had sheltered him in.

When Zidane started to whimper, Dagger soothingly shushed him by saying in his ear "Shh, Shh…it's okay. I'm here, my brave, courageous monkey."

She reflected on the hours after their reunion, and for the first time, focused on the events through Zidane's perspective and feelings.

_Back then…when he first came home to me…I was so intent on letting him know exactly how much pain his absence had caused me…that I didn't think for a moment about how he felt, separated from us all those months, no guarantee that he'd make it back alive._

She looked down at the young Genome in her arms and tightened her grip on him, ashamed as his wife that she had been so hard on him then, that she hadn't read his pain sooner, before a sniffle interrupted her self-loathing. Her attention refocused, she spoke softly in his ear, soothing him with her words.

"Zidane…my sweet little monkey. Shh, listen. I promise you…this isn't a dream. This is real; I'm really here, you're really back in Alexandria, we're really and truly married. And we're going to have a long and happy life together. We'll live in peace and prosperity in our castle, with no more monsters trying to destroy Gaia, with little monkey tailed princes and princesses running all over the palace. Doesn't that just sound wonderful, Zidane? And I promise, that's not going to be a fairy tale ending; that will be our reality."

His sniffles subsided, Zidane lifted his head from her shoulder and cradled her face in his palms before swiftly leaning forward to capture her lips with his own in a hungry kiss, one which was eagerly returned by the young Queen as she was forced to stop rocking her currently emotional husband. Dagger stroked his cheeks as she allowed him to dominate their kiss, determined to give him whatever he needed if it meant seeing her husband's cocky smile again. Only once Zidane reluctantly broke contact did she pull away from him, and even then, she made sure he wasn't more than a breath away from her. As they separated, gasping for breath, Dagger looked to her husband, who now had an eager grin plastered on his face, pleasing the Queen. Zidane then ran his hands hungrily down her torso as he spoke in a husky and lust-filled voice.

"Well then…we'd better get started on our reality, then…"

Zidane tackled her to the bed, making Dagger squeal in excitement as they rolled in the bed, losing themselves in the passion of their love and their dreams of a brighter tomorrow.


End file.
